7 ms·
I honestly never understood the TA thing. Why not just reach out to the professor in their open hours or before / after the lecture?
by dman 13y ago
I honestly never understood the TA thing. Why not just reach out to the professor in their open hours or before / after the lecture?
- munin 13y agothis presumes that: - professors have open hours - professors can be found before or after the lecture - professors respond to your email - professors ever go to their offices
- PhearTheCeal 13y agoWhich is ultimately a presumption that the professor still cares about teaching after they have earned tenure.
- fnordfnordfnord 13y agoTenure schmenure, if you want profs who do interesting research, they'll need some time to tend to that research.
- HarryHirsch 13y agoBecause the professor doesn't scale, not in an introductory class with > 100 students. Most all problems with the material that arise there can be dealt with with the help of the TA. At graduate level it's different, of course.
- greenyoda 13y agoA competent TA might have more of a rapport with a student, since they'd be closer in age and experience. It's likely that a grad student TA has recently taken the same classes and done the same kind of assignments. Also, a TA may have more time to spend with a struggling student than a professor has. (I've been a TA.)
- Fomite 13y agoOne thing that hasn't been mentioned - sometimes it helps to have a second voice explaining things, if you didn't get it the first time. If there's something about the professors explanation that is the problem, even if they're accessible it may not help. A good TA can help approach things from a different direction.